It is important to understand the whole picture of sex trafficking, which includes the issues of buyers and demand.
Behind every victim of sex trafficking, there is an average of 50 sex buyers who purchased them in a month’s timeframe.
*Average reflects a conservative estimate based on the survivor stories we’ve been honored to be part of since 2009.
Trafficking happens because there is a demand for sex.
Without the demand for commercial sexual exploitation, sex trafficking would be minimized in dramatic ways.
Not surprisingly, sex buying isn’t necessarily confined to a demographic (age, career, etc). While most likely to be white, affluent males, sex buyers are generally united by common life experiences, gender-biased beliefs, and addictions.
Nearly half of buyers paid for sex with women they knew to be under the control of a trafficker.
source: https://www.caase.org/
The consumption of pornography highly correlates with the likelihood of buying sex.
21% of men reported paying for sex in their lifetimes.
More than one-third of active sex buyers are married and over half of active buyers have children under age 18 in the home.
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Hear from former sex buyers, survivors, and experts.
Check out the videos below!
Learn about demand from former sex buyers, survivors, and anti-trafficking experts.
PLEASE BE ADVISED: These interviews will contain sexually explicit content, some including descriptions of sexual abuse and exploitation, as well as victim and offender testimonials. Viewers should exercise extreme caution.
“[Purchasing sex] was like pornography on fire.”
Gene McConnell has lived experience of participating in the purchasing of sex. He is now a motivational speaker and industry expert on pornography, sex addiction, shame, and relational health.
“I was trafficked through the legal brothels of Las Vegas.”
Bekah Charleston is a nationally respected leader and a dynamic public speaker whose story of survival, triumph, and determination has been featured in communities across the United States. After enduring a decade of abuse and exploitation, she built a career dedicated to the empowerment of Survivors and focused on community collaboration at all levels.
Shaming people will not end trafficking.
If we don’t understand why buyers purchase sex, we won’t be able to advocate for the most effective solutions. Ty Bowden heads up the Program for Men Against Sexual Exploitation through The Net Fort Worth and brings a wealth of insight to the conversation about how to end the demand for commercial sex.
He was arrested in Dallas nearly 20 years ago for purchasing sex.
John Pulley is a former sex buyer turned anti-trafficking leader. His willingness to talk about his mistakes, and the need for vulnerability and compassion in the fight against the demand for sex, is a powerful conduit for change.
“Purchasing sex should be taboo in our culture.”
Detective Joe Scaramucci is one of the most respected anti-trafficking voices in Texas. After having arrested over 460 sex buyers in his career as a Human Trafficking Detective, he has a unique perspective on the real drivers of exploitation.